Many cardiac procedures are commonly performed in the left atrium of the heart, which is not easily accessible. In order to treat the left atrium, a device may enter the patient's circulatory system via the patient's femoral vein. The device then may be advanced through the femoral vein to the right atrium of the heart. Once in the right atrium, a transseptal puncture is typically created in the transseptal wall to gain access to the left side of the heart and associated vasculature.
Although transseptal puncture is commonly performed, life-threatening complications such as pericardial tamponade, aortic perforation, and systemic embolization may occur. Many of these occurrences are the result of unintentional puncturing of the atrial walls. For example, the beating of the heart, slipperiness of the myocardium, and irregularities in the thickness of the septum can contribute to the difficulty in steering a catheter or other device and accurately puncturing the septum without causing injury. Therefore, anchoring of the puncturing device against the tissue may be critical to the successful treatment of atrial fibrillation and other cardiac conditions that involve transseptal puncture.
Stabilization and/or anchoring of the cardiac tissue has been performed using devices that apply mechanical or compression force, such as clamps, or devices that apply negative pressure (i.e. suction) to the tissue. However, these devices are sometimes significantly invasive, requiring insertion through the rib cage. Furthermore, such devices may present excess force or trauma to the engaged tissue, causing unwanted injury to the patient.
Accordingly, in light of the above limitations, it would be desirable to provide systems, devices, and methods by which tissue could be effectively and safely engaged and punctured in a minimally invasive fashion, thereby reducing the risk of life-threatening complications.